A New Life
by xx-Belikovforlife-xx
Summary: When Clarke's parents died, they left her in charge of her three younger siblings. One year later, Clarke begins university and becomes too busy to properly care for the kids on her own, so she hires a babysitter; Lexa Woods. Lexa is cold and distant, but undeniably attractive. What happens when Lexa and Clarke begin to grow close to one another? Clexa AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"That's it Clarke! I will hear no more excuses! You know that I love your siblings to death, but you are going to hire a babysitter!" Octavia exclaimed as quietly as she could, not wanting to wake the kids.

"Oh no, what did they do?" Clarke groaned in response. She had a massive headache and wanted nothing more than to just fall asleep so that she would have enough energy to get through the next day.

In response, Octavia led her friend to the den.

"Shit! Octavia, weren't you watching them at all?" Clarke exclaimed angrily.

The whole room was covered in sparkling glue. Two crooked horizontal lines in gold and silver had been painted across the black couch, swirls of gold covered the chair, and bits of glitter that had fallen to the ground made the carpet sparkle. In addition, one side of the wall contained an unfinished stick figure, with waves of yellow glue representing the hair, and dots of blue making up the eyes. The legs of the figure were both missing.

"I'm sorry," Octavia replied. "But I had homework to do, like I told you I did. I was working just one room over from them, and they were all happily watching a movie, so I thought everything would be fine. When I herd them loudly chattering and laughing, I found Aden 'decorating' the couch using a stick of gold glue in the glue gun, Maddy was working on the chair, and Ryan was making a portrait of you."

"Ryan did this?" Clarke asked. She was surprised her brother knew how to make stick figures. He had only begun kindergarten a month ago and had never expressed an interest in drawing.

Octavia nodded. "When I yelled at them to stop, Ryan started crying, which made Maddy start to cry. Aden said that they were doing it as a gift for you, knowing how much you like art."

Clarke groaned. Even when her siblings were causing her huge amounts of trouble, it was impossible to really be mad at them. They really should know better than to paint the house though.

I eventually got them settled and to bed," Octavia stated as she continued. "But because I spent almost the whole night with them, I barely got any work done on my paper which is due tomorrow, so I really need to go."

"Can I help you finish it? I will worry about cleaning the place tomorrow." It was no secret that Clarke was really smart, so Octavia was quick to accept the offer.

By the time the paper was done, it was 3:00 AM and both girls were exhausted.

"Just sleep here again tonight, it's way too late for you to drive back home." Clarke stated. "I do have to be up at 7:00 AM to get lunches ready for the kids though, so I'm sorry if we wake you."

"It's fine," Octavia replied.

"Oh, and thanks again for coming over today on such short notice," Clarke said as she held out a fifty dollar bill for her friend.

"I can't accept your money Clarke, you're my friend. I'm happy to do the favor for you. But I was serious about hiring a babysitter. No one will fault you for not being able to handle all three of your siblings on your own while being in school."

"My parents trusted me with them. They could have made my grandparents the legal guardians, or my mom's friend Callie, but they picked me. My parents never used extra help when raising us except for when absolutely necessary because they wanted us to grow as a family. They didn't want some stranger involved."

Octavia nodded, glad that Clarke had finally provided some sort of justification to explain why she wouldn't just hire someone. Whenever anyone brought up hiring a babysitter, Clarke would generally dismiss the idea without leaving room for the conversation to continue.

"Your parents did trust you Clarke, which means they know that you will make the best decisions for your siblings." Octavia replied. "But it has been over a year now, and you are struggling. You can take the time to find just the right babysitter so that they can help take care of your siblings when you need to be studying and building a future for yourself. When the babysitter is with your kids so often, they won't be a stranger. Your kids will grow to like whoever you hire."

"What if they don't?" Clarke replied. "What if I end up hiring some nightmare of a babysitter who my kids hate? They have been through so much already. I can't bear to put them in the care of someone who will make their lives any worse."

"You will watch whoever you hire closely, and will let them go if the kids aren't happy."

Clarke remained silent. On some level, she knew that Octavia was correct. Her first exams would begin in two weeks, and she was already behind in her studying. Clarke was stubborn and still believed she was correct in thinking that the risk involved in bringing someone new into her home was too high, but she was also beginning to acknowledge that it was unrealistic to think that she could provide her siblings with the support they needed while doing well in school.

"I will think about it. Let's go to sleep now. It's really late and we don't want to risk waking up the kids."

Octavia nodded, and the two girls fell asleep seconds after hitting the bed.

"Good morning Clarke!" Maddy yelled as she raced down the stairs. Ryan followed closely behind, as he ran to the kitchen table for breakfast. Aden already sat quietly at the table.

"Good morning," she replied, as she pulled each one in for a hug and kiss to the cheek. As always, Ryan clung to Clarke the longest.

"I heard the three of you got up to some trouble yesterday. While I appreciate that you wanted to decorate for me, you should all know by now that you cannot paint the furniture or walls with anything permanent. I do not want this happening again. Understood?" Clarke had decided not to punish them further. While she was highly annoyed about the whole situation, her siblings had not intended to cause any harm. "I also don't want any of you using glue guns again without the supervision of an adult. You could have burnt yourself."

"Yes, we're sorry." Aden replied. Aden was the oldest of the kids at age ten. After a growth spurt last year, he now stood very tall for his age. With a fairly deep voice, and eyes that were haunted by the memory of his lost parents, he could easily be mistaken for an older child. In a way, Clarke was relieved that Aden had been able to act like the child he still was last night.

"Did you like my picture?" Ryan asked excitedly.

"It was great Ryan, but promise you will keep it on paper next time."

"Ok!" Ryan replied quickly as he continued to eat his cereal. Clarke laughed when she spotted a cornflake that had gotten stuck in Ryan's blonde hair, and pulled it out.

Clarke let out a sigh of relief when the kids had all gotten to their classrooms. She shot Octavia a quick text telling her to let herself out, and Clarke headed off to the university to begin her morning classes.

"Shit," Clarke muttered under her breath when she awoke with a start, realizing she had just slept through most of her biology lecture. The lack of sleep from the past several nights was catching up to her, and Clarke knew she could not go on this way.

* * *

 _One week later_

"None of them are good enough!" Clarke yelled out in frustration.

"There was nothing wrong with that last girl we met up with. What is your issue with her?" Raven asked. Raven had also been a lifesaver for Clarke over this past year, having stepped in to help babysit more times than Clarke could count.

"When she talked to Aden, there was just no connection," Clarke replied.

"They spoke for one minute Clarke. What, do you expect sparks to fly or something?" Raven retorted. Raven was beyond thankful that Octavia had somehow convinced Clarke to hire a babysitter, but she was annoyed with how unreasonable her friend was being.

"She was just so normal and bland. And she also gave me that pitying look that I hate so much when I mentioned the death of my parents. I don't want the babysitter to be giving the kids that kind of look."

"Well, I guess we will just have to keep interviewing more 'sitters next week" Raven sighed. "Do you have this week covered for the kids?"

Clarke shook her head. "I have a lab on Wednesday that doesn't end until 6:00, so I will need someone to take the kids home and take care of them for a bit." Clarke answered with pleading eyes.

"Fine, I will be here. But only on the condition that you take next week's interviews more seriously."

"Thanks Raven, you're the best. And I promise I will." Clarke replied.

Raven nodded. "I'm going to a party tonight. I would invite you, but I know that you won't be able to come."

"Geez, you don't need to rub it in Raven," Clarke replied, annoyed with her friend. Clarke had been to one party about eight months after her parents had died. The only reason she had even gone to that one was because her friend Bellamy had shown up at her place, insisting to take care of the kids, and Octavia and Raven followed closely behind to drag Clarke out. Ever since that night, Clarke told herself that parties and normal social outings weren't a luxury she could accept anymore. It was a wonder she had managed to stay so close to her friends.

"If you had a babysitter, you could come with me." Raven replied, a smirk beginning to play on her lips.

"Shut up. All of you have me convinced already. I will hire someone once I have found a person who deems themselves worthy."

* * *

Raven might have exaggerated when she told Clarke that she was going to a party tonight. In reality, it was mainly just a relaxed night of drinking and gaming competitions with their core group of high school friends, plus a couple of new friends that they had made since beginning university. Tonight, it was at Jasper and Monty's flat.

"How were the interviews today? Please tell me Clarke hired someone." Octavia said, as Raven took a seat next to her.

Raven shook her head in response. "She's being too picky and untrusting of everyone. I get that she's super protective, but this is getting out of hand."

Octavia nodded her agreement. "There should be so many qualified people applying for this job as well. Clarke is offering a really high salary."

"How much per hour?" Raven asked out curiosity.

"$20 an hour, plus unlimited access to her father's old car."

"Holy shit, $20 an hour plus a car? I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but what job is this?"

Octavia and Raven quickly turned to their new friend Anya who had spoken.

"We've told you about our friend Clarke, right?" Raven asked. Anya nodded in response. She had definitely heard a lot about Clarke.

"Well we finally convinced her to get a babysitter."

"Is she made of gold or something? Who the hell pays that much for a babysitter?"

"Her mom was a doctor and her dad was an engineer, so her family had plenty of money left to them. And Clarke would pay anything to ensure the wellbeing of her siblings."

"Maybe I can convince my cousin Lexa to apply for the job. She could seriously use the money and the car."

Raven and Octavia's brows both shot up.

"Who is this cousin? How old is she? Why have we never met her?" Octavia exclaimed excitedly. She really didn't want to be the one stuck going through another glitter fiasco anytime soon.

Anya rolled her eyes at Octavia's outburst, but responded. "She's nineteen, lives with me in my apartment for the time being, and is saving up money to open up her own fencing academy. She doesn't have any experience with kids yet, but she's obviously open to working with them since she will do some instructing once she gets her academy running." Anya decided to leave the part about Lexa's cold exterior out.

"Let's set up a freaking interview!" Raven replied. "You trust her completely I take it?"

"Absolutely," Anya nodded in response. While Lexa would likely not let Clarke's siblings get too close to her, she would be extremely loyal to them.

"Is she free tonight? If she is, I say we ditch this thing and run her over there right now!" Octavia replied.

"No ditching!" Jasper exclaimed as he approached the girls. "Just drinks."

Jasper handed a few more beers around, and took a seat next to Monty on a couch perpendicular to the one the girls were seated on.

"I will see if Lexa is even interested and get back to you," Anya said to Raven and Octavia.

* * *

"Clarke, I have great news!" Octavia yelled as she walked into Clarke's house unannounced.

"Octavia!" Maddy yelled as she dashed towards her excitedly. "Octavia, can we play soccer again? I learned this really cool new trick" She said excitedly.

Interested in seeing what the commotion was all about, Ryan ran to the front area and jumped into Octavia's waiting arms.

"Look at what Clarke made for me!" he announced as he showed off the airbrush tattoo that Clarke had put on his wrist.

"It looks great Ryan, and I will be out to play with you in just a minute Maddy! We need to talk with your sister for a few minutes first though."

"Sorry it took me so long to get down here," Clarke said as she walked down the stairs. "What's up?"

"Octavia's going to play soccer with me!" Maddy yelled in response.

"That's nice of her, make sure you thank her." Clarke replied with a smile.

"We might have found a babysitter for you. I convinced her to come down here in an hour since I knew you would be free!" Anya had only called Octavia three hour ago with the news that Lexa was interested in doing the interview, but Octavia had been quick to follow up with Lexa and set an interview time.

"In one hour?" Clarke exclaimed in disbelief. "The place is a mess! I need to make supper for the kids, and then-"

"I have already ordered pizza for supper," Octavia began, and Ryan and Maddy cheered excitedly. "And if she's going to be babysitting, she's going to get used to seeing this place as a disaster anyways. I will stay for the interview, and will help you prepare whatever it is that you need doing."

"Thanks Octavia, you're the best. But you can't keep ordering pizza for them!"

Octavia shrugged. "We will work it off during some soccer. Come on Maddy! Ryan, are you going to play? I'm sure Aden will join us as well."

"Yeah!" Ryan replied.

Clarke was so thankful for Octavia in this moment. The kids were happily running around outside with Octavia, which gave her some time to work on her English paper and prepare for the interview.

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed it. The next chapter is already written so it should be up within two days.**

 **How do you think the interview will go? Do you like the kids? And how do you think the family is truly handling the loss of their parents?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The doorbell rang and Clarke cursed when she realized that an hour had already gone by. She had at least meant to change into a nicer pair of clothes and brush her hair before the interview.

Clarke opened the door and her eyes widened. The girl standing in front of her had gorgeous long dark hair, large green eyes that were perfectly lined, a strong jawline, and a lean but muscular build. She also had a tattoo on her arm, which the artist in Clarke couldn't help but appreciate.

"You must be Lexa," Clarke said quickly, trying to regain her composure. "Thanks for coming on such short notice. Things have been pretty hectic here lately. Let me get my friend Octavia and then we can talk. Do you want a drink or anything?"

"It's fine, I don't need anything," Lexa replied curtly.

Clarke nodded and brought Octavia to the living room, leaving the kids outside. She hoped that the kids wouldn't get up to any trouble.

After Octavia introduced herself, Lexa sat on a chair across from Clarke and Octavia.

"Why do you want this job? Do you have any experience with kids?" Clarke asked. She didn't have any time for formalities right now.

"I'm saving money to open up my own fencing academy, and to help fund my career as a fencer. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of kids." Lexa responded.

When it was clear that Lexa didn't plan on elaborating, Clarke continued. "Ok, so you know how to both discipline and be a friend to kids? Because my siblings are really good kids, but they also have an eye for trouble."

"They wouldn't get away with any bad behaviors. My punishments would all be fair. But I will keep them so busy that they won't have much time for trouble."

"How would you keep them busy?" Clarke asked, doing her best to probe for further information.

"Well I would have to know more about their interests to tell you that. But I will ensure that they spend a lot of time being active. I won't have them sitting around doing nothing."

Clarke nodded and paused for a moment. There was nothing wrong with Lexa's words exactly, but something about Lexa was rubbing Clarke the wrong way. Maybe it was the lack of emotion when she spoke, or the short and vague answers. Lexa certainly didn't seem like the sweet and affectionate type of person that Clarke had envisioned for this position.

"Would you mind if I speak with Octavia privately for just a moment?" Clarke asked. "We will just be one room over."

Once the door shut behind them, Clarke turned towards Octavia. "I don't know about her O, she just seems so cold and distant when she speaks. I don't know if the kids will like her, and I have no idea what she will be like as a person. Plus, I don't know if she's a good role model for the kids. While the artist in me appreciates her tattoo and dark makeup, that look isn't appropriate for young children."

"Clarke, we have spoken to her for all of one minute. Anya vouches for this girl, and Anya is almost impossible to impress. Stop making snap judgments about her and give her a chance!"

Clarke shook her head. "I don't know. I just don't think she's right."

Octavia sighed and quickly pulled out her phone.

'SOS. Clarke is being stubborn and won't give this girl a chance. What am I supposed to do?' Octavia texted to Raven, hoping that her friend would have some idea.

'Stall. I'll be there in a few minutes with a plan. Don't let Lexa leave.' Raven responded almost immediately.

"Why don't we ask her some more questions?" Octavia suggested. "Maybe she is just a bit nervous. I know I would be nervous if such a great job offering were on the line."

"Fine," Clarke replied. "But if I decide that I don't like her after speaking with her more, then she's leaving."

A few moments later, Clarke and Octavia were back in the living room. "So Lexa," Clarke began. "I'm really protective of my family. I don't know how much Anya has told you about me, but I need a babysitter because my parents died just over a year ago. If I were to hire you, I would need a serious commitment on your part. That is, I would not be able to tolerate you bailing out of shifts, or quitting without much notice. I would also want you to be open to taking on shifts spur the moment in case something comes up on my end. I of course don't expect you to be free all the time for me to call on you, but-"

"I understand Clarke," Lexa replied, cutting off Clarke's ramble. "I can give you the commitment you're looking for."

Clarke nodded. Just as she was about to launch into her next round of questioning, the doorbell rung.

"Sorry Lexa, just give me a minute." Clarke said as she stood up. She ran upstairs first for her wallet assuming it was the pizza that Octavia had ordered.

When she opened the door, she was surprised to find Raven.

"Clarke, I need a ride to the university! Apparentely there was smoke in my lab and the place had to be evacuated!" Raven exclaimed as she marched into Clarke's home.

"Just take my keys, I'm interviewing a babysitter." Clarke replied, as she threw the keys at her best friend.

"I can't drive!" Raven replied quickly.

"Why not?" Clarke asked, confused.

Raven paused for a moment, and then Octavia stepped forwards. "She's drunk!" Octavia didn't know what Raven's plan was yet, but she was more than willing to go along with whatever her friend had conspired.

"You're drunk?" Clarke asked, confused again. "Why would you be drunk this early on a Sunday?"

"Beer bash," Raven replied. "It's an engineering thing."

Clarke sighed. "Octavia, can you drive her?"

"Umm, no." Octavia replied.

"Why?" Clarke asked.

"She's also drunk. Same beer bash that I was at." Raven replied.

"You're drunk? You've been playing with my kids for an hour and interviewing Lexa! What's wrong with you?" Clarke yelled, but then paused for a moment. "You can't be that drunk, you haven't been acting like it."

"She's probably just getting over it by now." Raven replied quickly. "It has been a while, and she didn't have as much to drink as me. But she was dancing on a table just a few hours ago, so I don't want her driving."

"Can I just give you money for a cab?" Clarke asked in frustration.

"Clarke, please just drive me now! I'm already way later than I should be, and it would really be handy to have you there to drive me around in case I need to head out to the store for some extra parts." Raven stated. "Please, I really need this." Raven hoped her last line would push Clarke over the edge. Raven had done so many favors for Clarke over the past year, so she hoped her friend would see this as an opportunity to return one.

"I can't just leave. Who's supposed to take care of the kids if Octavia is drunk?"

"You said you have a babysitter being interviewed. Just see if she can watch the kids for an hour or two." Raven replied. Octavia forced herself to hide her smile. Raven's plan was certainly going somewhere.

"I can't leave her with my kids! I barely even know her!"

"Fine. Leave her here with Octavia. The kids will be fine between the two of them."

"She's right Clarke. I'll be sober enough to see if anything goes wrong, and this will be a great trial run for Lexa."

"Please Clarke," Raven begged again.

"Fine!" Clarke exclaimed in annoyance. "Get in the car."

Clarke was waiting in the university parking lot for her friend to return anxiously. It had already been an hour since they had left the house, and Clarke was fighting the urge to text Octavia for a check in. She knew that her friend would text her if anything went wrong, but that did little to settle Clarke's nervousness.

'Are you almost done in there?' Clarke texted to Raven.

Clarke's eyes lingered closely to her phone screen for any sign of a response from Raven, or message from Octavia. When ten more minutes passed by, Clarke gave in and texted Octavia.

'Everything going fine?'

A couple minutes later, Clarke's phone screen lit up, and she eagerly picked it up.

'Stop worrying. Your siblings are fine.' Octavia replied.

Clarke sighed and tossed her phone aside. If she had known she would be waiting this long, she would have brought some books along to get some studying done.

After another fifteen minutes, Raven finally returned to the car.

Clarke was about to make a complaint, but bit her tongue. Raven had put so much of her time in to helping Clarke out over the past year, so she wouldn't complain.

"Everything fine in the lab?" Clarke asked.

Raven nodded in responded. "No permanent damage. There was just a leak in one of the machines, so I need to run to the store to buy the materials needed to make a patch. Then we can come back here and it will take me about a half hour to fix it."

Clarke nodded and headed towards the store Raven requested. She groaned when she found it was twenty minutes away from the university. So much for having a productive evening tonight.

Three and a half hours after Clarke and Raven left the house, they finally returned. When they walked inside, the house was quiet, so they headed towards the backyard.

"What the hell are they doing?" Clarke exclaimed as she looked out the window. Aden and Maddy were both holding long sticks, and were lunging at each other with them. Lexa was showing Ryan how to lunge in a similar way. Octavia sat off to the side silently.

Clarke barged outside, terrified that someone was going to get hurt. She was just about to unleash her anger on Lexa and Octavia when Aden ran up to her.

"Clarke! Lexa is teaching us to sword fight! This is so cool! Can we show you what we learned?"

Meanwhile, Ryan continued to stand by Lexa, which was shocking since he almost always ran straight to Clarke whenever she appeared.

"It's all safe," Lexa said to Clarke, clearly noticing the horrified expression on the blonde' face. "Kids are taught how to fence at this age all the time. I'm a qualified instructor. Your siblings are really enjoying it, you should watch what they have prepared for you."

Clarke's glance immediately shifted to Raven and Octavia's, looking for confirmation that Lexa wasn't crazy. When both of them nodded, clearly encouraging Clarke to watch the show, Clarke gave in.

"I would be thrilled to see what you have been doing!" Clarke replied, and Aden and Maddy excitedly ran towards one another.

Aden and Maddy got in position across from one another. When Aden lunged towards Maddy with his stick, Clarke inhaled sharply. Her eyes squinted as she forced herself to continue watching. She was too scared that someone was going to accidently get hurt.

But to Clarke's surprise, Maddy took a step back and dodged the attack. Clarke stood up a bit straighter at this point. She was still extremely nervous, but she was also impressed.

Next Maddy lunged towards Aden, and Aden dodged.

Lifting up their sticks once more, the two clashed their sticks together a few times as they swung at one another. After a few seconds had passed, Aden lunged forward and lightly poked Maddy in the stomach.

The two kids then stepped back from one another, shook hands, and then bowed for Clarke.

Octavia quickly stood up to clap, so Clarke and Raven followed suit.

"How did we do Lexa?" Maddy asked excitedly.

"You both did well. You show great promise." Lexa replied. Those simple words brought huge smiles to Aden and Maddy's face.

"When can we learn more? Clarke? Will Lexa come back?" Aden asked, eyes filled with hope.

Clarke sighed. She wasn't sure about Lexa yet, but she had clearly been wrong about her kids not liking her. Despite how serious and unapproachable Lexa seemed, the kids appeared to have a bunch of fun with her and were really happy.

"I'm going to be out for a bit this Wednesday for school. Maybe Lexa can come back then?"

It only lasted for a split second, but Clarke caught a wave of happiness pass over Lexa's features. Maybe she wasn't so emotionless after all.

"I would be happy to come back. Aden and Maddy, keep working on what I showed you and we can continue when I come back. Ryan, we will continue when I see you next."

Lexa paused, as her green eyes flickered up towards Clarke.

"Do you want to talk inside for a minute Lexa?" Clarke asked.

Lexa nodded, and followed Clarke inside.

"The kids seem to really like you, and my friends say that you are trustworthy, so I'm willing to hire you. However, I will not hesitate to let you go if the kids change their minds about you, or if you do anything unacceptable."

Clarke hadn't meant to sound so harsh; she had merely meant to convey to Lexa that this employment may not be permanent. But, Lexa did not cower at Clarke's words. Rather, she continued to look straight at Clarke as she nodded.

"Thank you very much Clarke. I give you my word to keep your kids as safe and happy as I can."

As Lexa's green eyes bore into Clarke's, Clarke found herself believing Lexa's promise. Lexa's tone of voice had been hard and serious, but it was also earnest. Standing under Lexa's watchful eyes, Clarke found her breath had caught. The woman in front of her was so different from others she had met before. Clarke found herself once again appreciating Lexa's beauty, but she was also now looking up at one who had promised to be there for her siblings.

Clarke nodded, and broke the eye contact. "Here are the keys to my father's old car. While I will technically own the car, you can use it as if it were your own. I will cover any costs for gas that build up when you're using the car to drive the kids around. If Wednesday goes well, I will want you back on Thursday and Friday evening. I might be staying in the house on those nights, but need to be studying without distraction, so it would be great to have you around to keep the kids occupied."

Clarke tossed the keys to Lexa, who began to fiddle with them.

"I will put together a list of things you need to know about each kid. For Wednesday, all you need to know is that there are no food allergies, and Maddy will need help to study for a spelling test."

Lexa nodded. "I will read your list over very carefully when I receive it," Lexa replied.

Clarke nodded in response. She knew that she was being overprotective right now, but couldn't help it. She certainly appreciated that Lexa was taking all of her concerns seriously as opposed to waving them off as being overkill.

"I will see you on Wednesday then. Feel free to take the car now if you need it. Goodnight." Clarke said as the two walked towards the door.

"Goodnight Clarke," Lexa replied, as she left.

Once Lexa had left, Clarke went back outside.

"So?" Raven questioned. "Is she hired?"

"Yes," Clarke replied. "She's hired for now."

"Sweet!" Octavia exclaimed, and Clarke watched in amusement as Octavia and Raven high fived. Those two seemed more excited than Clarke was by this new development.

"Does this mean I'm excused from coming over on Wednesday?" Raven asked.

Clarke nodded in response. "Yes, Lexa is coming over to take care of everything."

Clarke paused for a moment as she looked at her two friends. "I know I haven't been the easiest person to spend time with over the past year, so I really appreciate everything you two have done for me."

"Aww, Clarke Griffin can be sweet!" Octavia replied. "But don't sweat it. Anyone in your position would be in a crappy mood. But you are giving your siblings good lives. And we really hope that Lexa comes through and will do the same for them."

"I really hope so as well."

* * *

 **So Raven and Octavia's plan worked, and Lexa has now been hired! Do you think Clarke will start to warm up to Lexa, or will Lexa have trouble proving herself to be good for the Griffin family?**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

It was Lexa's first shift, and she had picked up the three kids from school, and now returned back to the Griffin house. Lexa was still stunned by the sheer size of the house. With six bedrooms (2 of which were unoccupied), four washrooms, and several sitting rooms, the house was easily the largest that Lexa had ever stepped foot into. Lexa was even more impressed with the backyard, which was also very large with lots of neatly trimmed grass making up a large playing field for the kids to run around on. There was also a fenced off pool and hot tub towards the back.

Despite how nice the place was, Lexa knew better than to compliment Clarke on it. From what she had been told of Clarke by Anya and Octavia, Clarke was very motivated to accomplish things on her own, and didn't consider any of her wealth to be her own since it had been amassed by her parents. As someone who never had any privileges in life, Lexa appreciated that Clarke was humble and down-to-earth despite what she had. In addition, Lexa respected how seriously Clarke took her job as being the primary caregiver for her siblings. Lexa had never had good guardians involved in her life, so she knew better than to assume that all older siblings would have done what Clarke had in her position.

"Can we sword fight some more? When are we going to get the real swords?" Maddy asked as they walked in the door.

Lexa let a hint of a smile play on her features as she looked down at Maddy. The younger girl sure had a lot of energy and passion. With hair that was a similar blondish red to Aden's that fell halfway down her back, and green eyes, the eight-year old had certainly been blessed with beauty as well.

"We can, but first you and Aden need to finish your homework. Aden, you can work on your own today, right?"

Aden nodded his head, and pulled some papers out of his bag. Lexa was relieved that he seemed to be well behaved.

"Maddy, I can help you with some spelling today."

"I don't need help," she replied, crossing her arms. "Can I watch TV first?"

Lexa tried to hide her eye roll as she looked down at the kid in front of her. She hoped that Maddy wasn't as stubborn as Clarke, but she had a bad feeling that was the case.

"We have to finish your homework first," Lexa replied sternly. "It's really important to learn how to spell things properly."

"I haaaate spelling," Maddy replied.

Lexa sighed in frustration. "Take out your books, I will be back in a few minutes. I'm going to find something for Ryan to do."

"Ryan, what do you want to do?" Lexa asked as she took a seat on her knees in front of the child.

"I don't know," Ryan replied quietly. "When's Clarke coming home?"

"She's going to be home really soon. Maybe you want to make a picture for when she gets back?"

Ryan's blue eyes widened in excitement at the suggestion, and Lexa gave him one of her rare smiles as she pulled out a coloring book and some markers for Ryan to use. She placed them at the kitchen table, next to where she would hopefully be working with Maddy.

Lexa spotted Aden working at the dining room table, and found Maddy sitting beside him.

"Maddy, can we go to the kitchen to work?"

"I told you I don't want to," Maddy replied stubbornly.

"There will be no fencing lesson if you don't finish the spelling."

Maddy looked up at Lexa on that comment.

"Fine," Maddy replied after a moment. Lexa was relieved. The last thing she needed was for Maddy to fail her test. Lexa was sure that Clarke would fire her if that happened.

After taking a seat at the table, Lexa checked on Ryan to make sure he was having fun still, and then turned towards Maddy.

"Clarke told me that you have been working on these fifteen words this week." Lexa said, as she placed a list down. Maddy nodded her head in response.

For the next twenty minutes, Lexa slowly went through all the words with Maddy. Even though Maddy struggled on most of them, Lexa remained patient and continued on until she believed that the child had learned everything.

"I think all that hard work has earned us some time to fence," Lexa said, and Maddy sprung up from her seat and ran to the backyard.

"Do you want to come outside for more fencing, like last time?" Lexa asked Ryan. The boy shook his head in response.

"I want to keep coloring," he replied.

"That's fine," Lexa replied. "Do you want to color outside?" She asked. Lexa didn't feel comfortable leaving a boy so young out of her hearing distance.

"Sure," Ryan said, and Lexa helped him pick up his markers to take outside.

Aden came outside a few minutes later when he finished all of his work.

Lexa spent the next hour outside, working on different moves with Aden and Maddy. Ryan had been content to continue coloring.

Since it was 5:30 already, Lexa knew that the kids would be getting hungry. She also figured that Clarke would appreciate it if supper was made, so Lexa brought the kids back inside. After setting the kids up in front of the TV, Lexa began to make some pasta with vegetable sauce. Octavia had told her the night before that it was one of the kids' favorites.

A half hour later, the food was ready, and the kitchen had been cleaned. After seating the kids down at the table, and placing their food and juice in front of them, Lexa heard the front door swing open. When Clarke walked into the kitchen, Ryan quickly ran up to her.

"Hi Ryan, how are you?" Clarke asked affectionately as she lifted the boy up for a hug.

"I made you lots of pictures! Can I show you?"

"Of course. Do you want to finish your supper first?"

Ryan nodded, and Clarke put the boy down.

"Thank you so much for making dinner for them Lexa. I can't even begin to tell you how much I appreciate it."

"It's my job Clarke," Lexa replied plainly. "There's enough for you as well. I can stay back until they are all finished to wash the dishes. I can wait in the other room if you would like some time alone with your siblings."

"Don't be silly, you can stay in here with us. Have you not had any of the pasta yet?"

Lexa shook her head.

"You must be hungry. It's dinnertime. Let me get a bowl for you." Clarke replied, surprised that the brunette hadn't simply served herself.

"Thanks," Lexa replied, as Clarke pulled up a chair next to Lexa, placing two bowls down in front of them. "I had initially made enough so that the kids could eat the leftovers for lunch tomorrow. But I don't know if there will be enough now."

"Don't worry about it, I'm sure I can supplement their lunches with something else."

Lexa nodded, surprised by the nice gesture and to be invited to the dinner table. She had assumed that Clarke would want her around for the least amount of time possible. As it was, Lexa was sure that Clarke did not yet fully trust or approve of her as the babysitter.

"Lexa's a better cook than you Clarke!" Maddy exclaimed. "She should show you how she made this. It's really good."

"Really? I will have to try it then," Clarke replied with a smile. After taking her first bite, Clarke's brows shot up.

"This is really good. I think these three are going to reject my pasta from now on, so you're going to have to show me how you did this," Clarke said jokingly.

"I can show you whenever Clarke," Lexa replied. As she spoke, Lexa caught Clarke's eyes in her own. Clarke really had beautiful blue eyes. They looked even better when she was smiling like she was tonight.

Clarke nodded, as she broke the eye contact. She mentally chastised herself for once again staring at Lexa.

"How was your day?" Clarke asked the kids, hoping to get her mind back on track.

"Lexa showed us more sword fighting moves!" Aden replied. "She said that I can compete in tournaments soon if I keep practicing."

"Me too!" Maddy exclaimed, not wanting to be left out.

"Well that sounds fun," Clarke replied. After searching up fencing on the internet for an hour the other night, she had finally convinced herself that the kids would probably be safe. It was no higher risk than most other sports.

"What about you Ryan?"

"I colored. Can I show you the pictures now?"

Clarke couldn't say no to Ryan's hopeful look. "You can bring them to the table. Try not to get food all over them."

Ryan smiled and got up. Clarke laughed when she noticed that Ryan's hands were all covered in markers.

"He never expressed much interest in art before, but he suddenly seems to be enjoying it." Clarke said to Lexa.

Lexa merely nodded in response.

Ryan came back holding five different pictures, and Clarke complimented them all.

"I can make more tomorrow." He promised. "I just have to make one for Lexa first."

Clarke smiled. Ryan really was sweet. He always had been.

As Clarke watched her siblings continue to talk, she realized that it had been a long time since she had been able to fully appreciate and enjoy their company. She loved her siblings more than anything, but they were also a source of constant stress. Maybe she should have hired a babysitter ages ago. It wasn't fair for the kids to have to spend time with her while she was in sour moods.

After dinner finished, Lexa quickly got up to begin washing the dishes. After ensuring that the kids were all occupied, Clarke returned to the kitchen.

"We might have gotten off on the wrong foot the other day," Clarke began as she walked into the kitchen. Her behavior and attitude towards Lexa a couple days ago was troubling her. "I just want you to know that I'm happy to have you her taking care of the kids. My friends didn't force me to hire you."

Lexa put down the dish she was working on, and turned towards Clarke.

"You don't need to apologize Clarke. You want what's best for your siblings. I will work to gain your trust and respect."

Clarke couldn't help but be drawn back towards Lexa's eyes as she spoke. Lexa was definitely not the type of person who Clarke had envisioned hiring. But even though Lexa seemed so serious all the time, the kids were clearly having a lot of fun with her.

"I should go now. The kids will be happy to spend the evening with you." Lexa said.

"Thanks for coming Lexa. You will be back tomorrow and Friday?"

"I will be here Clarke. Have a nice evening." Lexa replied as she left.

* * *

It was Friday, and Clarke began to apologize profusely when Lexa walked in the door.

"I'm sorry, but it's Friday night so I agreed to let the kids all have friends over. It's going to be a bit crazy in here tonight. And I know you won't get a chance to read it tonight, but here is the list of important information about each one of the kids that I told you I would make. I had been too busy to make it until last night."

Lexa took the huge stack of papers that Clarke had handed her and couldn't help but chuckle. "Are you sure this is a list Clarke? It looks more like a biography of each child."

"Did you just make a joke?" Clarke asked in surprise. She had never heard Lexa say anything even remotely humorous up until this point.

"I am capable of it," Lexa replied. "But I do appreciate this Clarke, despite my earlier words. I will read every word of it."

"Thanks Lexa. I will relieve you in a couple of hours. I will be upstairs in the office again."

Lexa nodded, and went to go find the kids.

Aden and another boy about his age were building things out of Lego in the main room, Maddy was playing catch with a boy in the backyard, and Ryan and his friend were playing with some toy cars.

After two hours had passed, Lexa let out a sigh of relief when the kids' friends all left. While they had been mostly well behaved, the kids would sometimes begin to argue or get upset, so she would have to step in.

It was not quite time for bed, so Lexa decided to sit the kids down for their before bed story. Thankfully, Clarke had recommended many books that would be appropriate for all three of them.

After getting the kids all seated on the ground in front of her, Lexa pulled up a chair and began to read.

When Clarke walked downstairs, having put her books away from the night, she stopped when she noticed the scene in front of her. Lexa was reading to the kids, who were all intently listening as they sat in front of her.

"How many birds are in this picture Ryan?" Lexa asked after she finished reading what had been on the page.

"Ten!" Ryan yelled.

"That's right Ryan. And Aden, can you read the next page?"

Clarke watched on as Lexa read and interacted with the kids. While Lexa's posture remained stiff, her voice and eyes conveyed another story. She spoke patiently and tenderly, making sure the kids understood each and every one of her words. She even smiled at the kids when they were able to answer her questions and read properly.

When Lexa closed the book, Ryan looked like he was about to fall asleep, so Clarke came downstairs.

"Do you want me to tuck you in Ryan?" Clarke asked, and the boy gave a faint nod, with his eyes half closed.

After putting Ryan to bed, Clarke came back downstairs. The older two kids usually went to sleep an hour later than Ryan, so they weren't as tired.

Lexa was sitting on the couch with Maddy in her lap, and Aden to her side as they watched a television show. Clarke took the seat next to Aden.

"Fun night?" she asked him, and he smiled in response.

"Lexa, did Maddy tell you what she got on her spelling test?" Clarke asked, as it had just come to her mind.

"I got almost everything right!" Maddy exclaimed excitedly.

"That's right, you did super well. That's what you deserve for working so hard at it with Lexa."

Clarke sent a smile of thanks Lexa's way, and Lexa met Clarke's eyes as she nodded.

Clarke knew that Lexa wasn't needed here anymore, but she didn't want to ask Maddy to move from her position on Lexa's lap since she looked happy, so she didn't say anything. Lexa seemed to understand that Clarke wanted her to stay, since she made no move to leave.

After an hour had passed, Clarke and Lexa got up to put the kids to bed.

"Will you put me to sleep Lexa?" Maddy asked as she grabbed Lexa's hand.

Lexa looked up at Clarke for approval, which she was granted.

"Of course. Let's get you ready," she replied as she laced her fingers through Maddy's and walked upstairs.

"You ready to go Aden?" Clarke asked, and the boy nodded. Even though Aden was old enough by this point to put himself to bed, Clarke had kept up her parents rituals of always giving her siblings a hug and kiss goodnight in their beds just before turning off the lights.

After Aden and Maddy were asleep in their rooms, Clarke and Lexa headed towards the front door.

"Here's your payment for the week," Clarke told Lexa as she handed her a wad of money.

Lexa's eyes widened as she counted out how much had been given to her.

"You shouldn't be surprised," Clarke commented. "I told you how much you would be getting per hour."

Lexa had regained her composure as she put the money in her wallet. "I'm not surprised. I'm just-" Lexa paused for a moment. "I'm not used to seeing much money at once." Though she stuttered slightly in her words, Lexa did not avert her gaze and continued to speak straight to the blonde at eye-level.

"Well gets used to it. You've earned it."

* * *

 **Clarke has acknowledged that Lexa isn't an awful person for her kids, so that's a step up from the last chapter! The kids have been well behaved for Lexa so far, but will that last?**

 **Also, I would really appreciate if you let me know of some good, but lesser known Clexa stories. I'm looking for some new stories to get into.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Lexa, you should come out tonight. Raven and Octavia are going to the bar and told me to invite you." Anya said.

Lexa shook her head. "Sorry, I have to practice fencing tonight."

"You're always practicing!" Anya exclaimed in response.

"Not as much since I started babysitting." Lexa replied. It was true. Since Lexa had started babysitting there two weeks ago, she had spent over 35 hours a week with the Griffins. Lexa really needed the money and didn't mind the kids so she was happy to put in the hours, but it was really putting a dent into her training time.

"Just take the night off, I'm sure it will not matter in the long-run."

Lexa narrowed her eyes at Anya. "Are you just trying to use me as someone to distract Octavia so you can talk to Raven alone?"

Anya shook her head and smirked. "No. You would be a horrible wing-woman."

Lexa lightly hit her cousin on the arm in response, as she muttered "shut up."

"All I'm doing is encouraging you to have a fun night out, and to potentially make some new friends. Keep in mind the stunt that those two pulled on Clarke to get you the babysitting job."

"Ok fine, I'll go," Lexa replied. She really had no desire to go out, but she also knew that her cousin was relentless and wouldn't stop bothering her until she agreed to join them.

When Lexa and Anya arrived, they found Raven and Octavia were already seated in a booth.

"Glad you could make it Lexa! I don't know why Anya didn't bring you out earlier." Octavia exclaimed.

Anya decided to not mention that she had invited Lexa out on several occasions prior to this one.

"And we're really excited to get to know the girl who has Clarke beginning to behave like a normal human being again." Raven said. "She actually called us this morning to make plans to go to a movie next week. She hasn't called us to make plans for fun in ages."

Lexa nodded, feeling a quick shot of jealousy surging through her. She wouldn't have minded being the one that Clarke called on. Lexa chastised herself for being ridiculous, and did her best to shove the thought aside.

"I'm glad to hear it," Lexa replied.

Anya had naturally taken the seat beside Raven, so Lexa slid into a seat across from them.

"What do you want to drink Lexa? It's on me. Actually, let me buy the next round of drinks for everyone." Anya said.

Lexa held back a smirk. Anya was clearly trying to make herself popular with Raven and her friend.

"Sweet, thanks Anya," Octavia replied, as Raven nodded her agreement.

"It's too bad Clarke's not here though," Raven said. "I could get her a whiskey sour just like she would always used to have."

"Maybe Bellamy will look after her kids again! And she could come out tonight!" Octavia replied.

"Sure. Wait, that wouldn't be weird or anything for you Lexa, right?" Raven asked.

"It would be fine," Lexa replied. It wasn't like Lexa could have responded in any other way without making it seem like she was uncomfortable around Clarke. As Lexa always behaved professionally in front of her employer, it would be certainly different to be drinking with her. But at the same time, this was just Clarke. "She might be busy though, she's studying for midterms. I think she said her first one is in a few days. And if you really want her to come, I can babysit. You don't have to call Bellamy."

"Bell, what are you doing here?" Clarke asked with a smile as she drew her friend in for a hug. Bellamy was two years older her, but the two had managed to grow close in high school despite the age difference.

"I'm here to watch your kids. Octavia and Raven are taking you for the night."

"I already have plans with them for tomorrow," Clarke replied, confused.

"Well they want you tonight," Bellamy replied. "So go have fun."

Bellamy gave her the name of the bar, and Clarke decided to go to it. She had already finished studying for the night, and the kids would be thrilled to see Bellamy.

"Thanks, you're amazing," Clarke said, as she gave Bellamy another quick hug before leaving.

"You showed up!" Octavia exclaimed as she ran up to the front of the bar to greet Clarke. "Hand it over," she said as she turned to Raven who had followed.

"Fine," Raven scoffed, as she handed a five-dollar bill to Octavia. "I didn't think you'd come Clarke, but I'm really glad you did! Let me buy you the first drink!"

Clarke shook her head at being the subject of a bet, but couldn't help but smile at her friends' antics.

"I can't drink," Clarke replied. Raven should have known better than to offer her one. "I have my siblings to take care of when I get home. Not to mention that I have to drive back."

"One or two drinks will be worn off by the time you get home, and one of us can drive you." Raven replied, and walked off to the bar before Clarke could respond.

"She's right, you deserve a treat." Octavia stated, as the two walked back towards the booth.

"Lexa," Clarke stated in surprise. Realizing that she may have sounded quite rude, she backtracked. "Sorry, I didn't mean to sound rude or anything, I just didn't know you would be here. Which is totally fine by the way, I-"

"It's fine Clarke," Lexa responded, cutting off the blonde's ramble. "Your friends invited me here." Lexa stated, as an explanation for her presence. "I tried offering to babysit for you when they wanted you to come out, but Octavia called Bellamy anyways."

Clarke was about to respond when Anya spoke up.

"Reyes, I thought I was buying the first round?" She exclaimed.

Raven shrugged. "You were too slow."

Drinks were set in front of everyone, and Lexa couldn't help but turn up her head in disgust at the whiskey sours that had been placed in front of everyone.

Clarke's eyes widened as she looked at the drink.

"Guys, I really can't-" Clarke began, but was cut off by Octavia.

"We promise the kids will be well looked after tonight. You've got Bellamy there now, and all of us here to help you out later on if you need. Now let's give a toast to Clarke's first night out in months!"

The five girls clinked their glasses together, and Clarke hesitantly took a sip. Shit, she had forgotten how good these were. Deciding that her friends were right, Clarke finished the drink.

Meanwhile, Lexa took a sip of the drink out of politeness, and her face nearly scrunched in disgust. It was so sweet. Lexa didn't drink much, but when she did, she drank the alcohol straight.

Clarke chuckled when she noticed Lexa eyeing the drink.

"You don't have to finish it," she commented, which made the others laugh.

Lexa mentally chastised herself for being so obvious about it.

"Do you want the rest?" Lexa offered, seeing no point in pretending to want it anymore.

"She does!" Octavia exclaimed, replying for her.

"Stop trying to influence all of my decisions!" Clarke exclaimed jokingly.

"We make better decisions," Raven retorted.

"Drinking is a good decision!?"

Lexa watched on, amused as Raven and Clarke bantered. A few minutes later, Lexa watched as Clarke grabbed Lexa's drink. Lexa couldn't help but notice how Clarke's lips closed around the very straw she had just been drinking from. For what seemed like the hundredth time tonight, Lexa chastised herself for her thoughts.

"I've really missed you guys," Clarke sighed after the conversation began to die down.

"We've missed you too Clarke," Octavia replied as she reached over for a hug which Clarke gladly returned. "We should go dance!"

Clarke's eyes lit up at the suggestion, and she stood up immediately, waiting for the others to follow.

Lexa remained seated as the others all got up.

"Try not to be too boring tonight, ok?" Anya said, as she followed Raven to the dance floor.

Lexa nodded, and decided to get comfortable. There was no way she was going to dance on the same floor as all of the groping males.

Lexa watched as her friends danced. Other bodies obstructed the view slightly, but Lexa could still see her friends dancing naturally with the music. Clarke's eyes were so bright as she moved. After some time past, the songs became more provocative, and Lexa found her eyes permanently drawn to Clarke. God, was she ever a good dancer. Her and Octavia were standing only inches away from one another as they began to sway their hips together. Octavia's hands locked around Clarke's back and began trailing down teasingly and Clarke laughed as she playfully swatted the hands away. A surge of jealousy shot through Lexa.

Lexa turned away, doing her best to think about literally anything aside from the dancing blonde. After a while, she decided to grab some water. Just as Lexa had finished her drink, a man approached her.

"Can I buy you a drink?" He asked with a grin.

"No thanks," Lexa replied quickly as she turned to walk around the other way. With her head down, she nearly walked straight into Clarke who was holding up another alcoholic drink.

"Lexa, there you are. You don't dance?" Clarke asked, and then took a large sip of her new drink, nearly finishing it in the process.

Before Lexa could reply, the same man from before approached them.

"If I can't buy you anything, can I at least buy another drink for your pretty friend?" He asked as he eyed up Clarke. Lexa felt like punching him, but would not reply on Clarke's behalf.

Clarke shook her head, clearly dismissing him, and grabbed Lexa's wrist to pull her around to the other end of the bar. Lexa couldn't ignore the shivers that shot through her body at the touch.

"Guys can be such idiots," Clarke complained as she dropped Lexa's wrist immediately after reaching their destination. Having finished her drink, Clarke slid the empty glass onto the bar counter, and was immediately approached by the bartender, asking her if she was interested in another drink.

Clarke begun to shake her head, but then Lexa stepped forward.

"If it's the kids you're worried about, don't be. Between us all, we can find a way of taking care of them for the night. You deserve to have a good time."

Clarke nodded. She really was having a good time tonight; More fun than she had ever had since before her parents died. Lexa reached forward to slip some money into the bartender's hand. "This one's on me." Lexa said.

Clarke smiled at the kind gesture, and turned to Lexa as she waited for her drink to be made.

"You never answered me before Lexa," Clarke began. "Why won't you dance?"

Lexa's stance was rigid, but Clarke could tell by Lexa's eyes that she was amused by Clarke's curiosity.

"I don't mind dancing," Lexa replied. "This just isn't my style of it." She added, as she looked towards the dancefloor. While Clarke's dance moves had certainly been appreciated by Lexa, she was not personally interested in grinding on friends or strangers in public.

Clarke's drink arrived, and she took another large sip out of it.

"What is your style?" Clarke asked curiously.

"I was trained in ballroom dancing." Lexa admitted. While the behavior clearly contradicted the stoic impression that she attempted to paint of herself, she would not be ashamed of it.

Clarke smiled in response, and Lexa felt a surge of pride for being able to elicit that response out of her.

Lexa silently groaned as Octavia walked towards them, having enjoyed the alone time with Clarke.

"Hey guys. Hopefully Raven and Anya will finally get something going between them tonight! Leaving them alone on the dancefloor will hopefully speed that up for them!"

Raven and Anya weren't hooking up. But they were having a pretty intense dance off at the moment, which had even drawn Lexa to the dance floor.

As she watched the two pull off ridiculous moves, she noticed Clarke's cheeks had reddened considerably, and her moves were less precise than before. The drinks must be hitting her.

When it seemed that the competition would never end, Octavia stepped between Raven and Anya to effectively end it. She received glares in response.

The girls formed a circle, all beginning to dance again. Lexa was about to head off, when Clarke once again grabbed her wrist.

"Stay. We don't have to dance like them." Clarke stated as she searched Lexa's green eyes from approval. Lexa nodded, unable to think clearly with Clarke touching her. While Clarke's hold on Lexa felt like it was burning, the rest of her body was once again in shivers. No one had made Lexa feel this way except for Costia. Shoving the intruding thought aside, Lexa finally urged her body to move, and took Clarke's hands, positioning one on her shoulder, and keeping the other locked between her fingers. Lexa knew they would look absolutely ridiculous in this position in this setting, but she couldn't care less.

Taking a deep breath to bring back her confidence, Lexa began leading Clarke around in a dance in beat to the music. The two laughed as Lexa playfully dipped and twirled Clarke. The two jumped around the room, looking completely out of place, but the endless laughs that escaped the two girls made it worth it. As the two continued to move to the music, Lexa's thoughts began to wander. Lexa wondered if Clarke would dance with her like she had with Octavia if she hadn't made that comment about not enjoying club style dancing. She mentally slapped herself for making such an idiotic comment. She would have loved for Clare to dance on her closely.

As Lexa turned to face Clarke again, she couldn't help but stare back into Clarke's blue ones. Clarke was really attractive. It was pointless for Lexa to continue denying it to herself. Lexa's thoughts were interrupted when Clarke switched the positions of their hands and took the lead, ridiculously waltzing the two of them around the floor. Lexa couldn't remember the last time she had laughed and smiled like this.

"Time to go home Clarke," Raven urged, as Clarke slumped over in their booth.

"Not yet, one more dance." Clarke mumbled in response.

"You can't even walk properly, it's time to leave," Raven replied, pulling Clarke up from her seat. "Give Lexa your keys. She is driving you back."

"Come on Clarke," Lexa added, and grabbed Clake's arm to give her some support. Lexa hoped Clarke wouldn't feel too ill tomorrow morning.

Clarke fell asleep in the car, so Lexa had a silent ride back to the Griffin household.

After gently waking up Clarke, she brought the blonde in. Upon noticing Bellamy, Lexa gave her thanks to him for taking care of the kids, and dismissed him of his duties.

"What have I done?" Clarke groaned. "What if the kids wake up and need me for anything. I-"

"I will stay over tonight, if that's ok with you. If they need anything, I will take care of it."

Clarke sighed in relief, and pulled Lexa in for a quick hug. Lexa reveled in the blonde's touch. She had to learn how to control her emotions with Clarke though. From what Lexa had seen, Clarke was a very affectionate person in general, so her hugs and dances could not be interpreted as anything beyond friendship.

After walking Clarke upstairs, she took a step back when they reached Clarke's room. "There's a spare bedroom next to mine, as you probably know. The bed is made. Goodnight Lexa." Clarke said as she retreated to her room.

"Goodnight Clarke."

* * *

 **Next chapter will be the morning after. How do you think Clarke will feel about her night?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Lexa groaned when her alarm went off at 7:30 AM, but she dragged herself out of bed anyways. She knew that Ryan always got up around 8:00, and the other kids got up shortly after. Ryan would need help washing up, and everyone would need to be fed breakfast.

Lexa headed to the kitchen, and began to make chocolate chip pancakes. They were Ryan's favorite according to Clarke.

After a half hour had passed and the food was all ready, Lexa decided to check on Ryan so that he wouldn't wake up Clarke.

Lexa walked into Ryan's room quietly, and could see that the boy was awake.

"Good morning Ryan," She greeted as she knelt in front of his bed, hoping that she hadn't scared him.

"Good morning," he replied. Lexa let out a sigh of relief that Ryan wasn't questioning her presence.

"Are you ready for breakfast? I made your favorite."

Ryan's face lit up and he jumped out of bed.

"Let's get you dressed before going downstairs," Lexa said, and quickly got the boy changed. Once she was done, he ran downstairs.

Before digging into his food, Ryan looked up at Lexa.

"Where is Clarke?" he asked. His blue eyes seemed to beg Lexa to bring Clarke to him.

"She is sleeping," Lexa replied. "But I have a really fun idea for something we can do for when she gets up."

Lexa stood up and began to pull peanut butter, chocolate hazelnut spread, whip cream, syrup, icing sugar, sprinkles, and fruit out. Ryan's eyes widened at all of the treats that were being pulled out. Lexa hoped Clarke wouldn't be mad at her for making such an unhealthy breakfast. But it was too late to change her mind now.

"Do you want to decorate the pancakes?" Lexa asked as she began to draw a smiley face on one of the pancakes out of the chocolate spread.

Ryan laughed, and Lexa handed him a spoon. Ryan stood up, and filled his spoon with some peanut butter.

"Do I get to decorate mine too?" He asked excitedly.

"Of course," Lexa replied. "Do you want help?"

Ryan nodded. "I want to make mine into a dog!" He decided.

Lexa nodded, knowing this could be challenging, but she would go with the boy's wishes.

Ten minutes later, Ryan looked down at his breakfast with a huge grin on his face. The creature they had created looked vaguely like a dog, though it was mainly just a mess of sugary ingredients.

"I want Clarke to see it before I eat it," Ryan said.

"We should let her sleep. She's really tired this morning. We can take a picture of it for her?" Lexa suggested.

"I want Clarke," he repeated and tears began to stream down his eyes. Lexa mentally cursed. This wasn't the first time Ryan had cried with her, but it was the first time he had cried over being separated from his sister.

"It's ok," Lexa said quietly as she lifted Ryan up. Lexa slowly stroked her fingers through his hair in an effort to calm him down.

As Lexa stood there with Ryan, Aden came downstairs.

"Woah!" He exclaimed when he saw the pancake Lexa and Ryan had created. "Can I have one?"

"Go for it," Lexa replied as she began to rock Ryan in her arms. She was thankful that his tears were beginning to subside.

"Do you want to try eating Ryan?" Lexa asked him softly since he had stopped whimpering. "We can save the one we made for Clarke, and make another for us to have now."

"Ok," Ryan said quietly, and Lexa set him down on the ground.

Lexa had to hold back a laugh when she saw the pancake that Aden was making. He had forgone the art work, and had simply layered as much chocolate and whip cream as he could onto his plate.

"I think that's enough Aden," Lexa said as Aden was preparing to put some more whip cream on.

Within a few minutes, Maddy had come down as well, and everyone was working on making their second pancakes.

When the four had finally finished their breakfasts, Lexa took the kids outside for some fencing since she knew they would wake up Clarke if they stayed inside. Deciding to try perking up Ryan's mood, Lexa smeared some of the chocolate spread on each of the kids' cheeks to make them look like warriors.

After about 30 minutes of fencing, Ryan began to grow bored with it, though the others were still enjoying themselves quite a bit.

"Ryan, do you want me to bring some coloring outside for you?" Lexa asked.

"When's Clarke waking up?" He asked. Lexa felt really bad for the boy. It was clear that these two weeks without seeing much of his older sister was taking a toll on him. Lexa wondered how much the boy could remember of his parents. Surprisingly, the kids had not mentioned their parents once since she had begun babysitting for them.

"Really soon." Lea replied, as she tried to think of something for Ryan to do to keep himself amused.

Ryan began to tear up again, and Lexa sighed, lifting the boy up into her arms once again.

"I'm going to take your brother inside, the two of you can keep practicing the move I just showed you," Lexa said, and Maddy and Aden nodded. Lexa didn't like leaving those two alone, but they were certainly old enough to be in the backyard for a bit without supervision.

When Lexa brought Ryan inside, he begun to cry harder. There was no way Clarke was going to be able to sleep through this. Lexa continued to rock the boy in her arms but she could not get him to cheer up.

When Clarke heard the voices from downstairs, she groaned. Her head was pounding. As she rubbed at her eyes, she could hear that Ryan was clearly crying. Jumping out of bed, she ran downstairs. Clarke let out a sigh of relief when she found Ryan in Lexa's arms. She now remembered that Lexa had stayed over after she had gotten drunk last night.

"Clarke," Ryan said through teary eyes.

Lexa quickly handed the crying child to Clarke and began apologizing.

"I tried to settle him down so he wouldn't wake you, but he has just been so upset this morning."

"It's fine," Clarke replied quickly. Clarke knew that Ryan could be very difficult at school and with babysitters when he began to miss either her or her parents.

"I'll go back outside with Aden and Maddy," Lexa said, but stopped when she heard Clarke's voice.

"Oh my god, it's 10:30 already?" She exclaimed in panic. "I should be studying. I didn't study at all last night, and I have that test in two days, and-"

"I will stay as long as you need me," Lexa said, cutting her off.

Clarke nodded slowly, but continued to hold Ryan who had calmed down at this point. She felt bad about leaving her kids again for the day. Ryan obviously missed her, and the two older ones probably did as well even if they weren't showing it.

"After your midterms are done next week, you will spend lots of time with them." Lexa said, as if she were reading Clarke's mind.

Clarke slowly put down Ryan, and he ran off to the kitchen. Now that Ryan was out of her arms, Lexa couldn't help but notice Clarke's lack of clothes. She was in a small white tank top, likely with no bra underneath, and small boxer-style shorts. Lexa couldn't help but imagine waking up in her bed beside Clarke while looking like that.

Lexa averted her stare quickly, not wanting to invade Clarke's privacy. She was likely only wearing her nightwear because she ran down immediately when she heard Ryan. This look was not meant for her eyes unfortunately.

Thankfully, Ryan ran back holding out the pancake he and Lexa had made in the morning.

"It's for you!" He exclaimed, and Clarke smiled as she ruffled her fingers through his hair.

"You've been busy." Clarke stated with an amused look. "Is this how chocolate ended up on your face?" She asked Ryan, who shook his head.

"We're warriors!" He exclaimed.

"The others are out in the back practicing their fencing," Lexa added in explanation.

"Maybe I will take this outside then and say good morning to everyone before I start on my work."

Lexa nodded. "I'll work on the dishes." She said as she headed towards the kitchen. Before beginning to clean up the mess they had made this morning, Lexa put on some coffee for Clarke, knowing that she would want it.

A half hour later, Lexa had finished cleaning, and peered out the back window. Clarke was playing some sort of game with the kids, and everyone appeared to be happy. Lexa forced herself to stop watching quickly though because her eyes continuously drew back to Clarke who had not gotten changed yet.

Deciding to make herself useful, Lexa began making lunch. She knew it would be ready before the kids were hungry again, but Clarke might appreciate some vegetables and proteins in addition to the sugary pancake.

As Lexa prepared the meal, Clarke walked inside.

"How are you Clarke?" Lexa asked when she noticed the kids were all outside still.

"I've been better," she replied. "I'm so sorry about last night Lexa. I hired you to babysit the kids, not me."

Lexa smiled in amusement. "You weren't that bad Clarke. And there's nothing wrong with letting yourself go for a night."

"I didn't have to do it right before my first exams. I'm such an idiot. I had to work so hard to get to university, and now I'm going to screw everything up."

"Clarke," Lexa said quickly as she moved towards the blonde. Clarke was not crying, but her cheeks were red and her eyes were pained. Lexa wanted so badly to hug Clarke, but didn't know if the feeling was mutual so she stopped herself.

"One night off isn't going to make a big difference. Start studying now. I will watch the kids."

Clarke took a deep breath to calm herself and nodded.

"If I can be of any help in your studying, let me know. There's coffee all ready for you as well" Lexa added.

Clarke smiled. "You managed to help Maddy so you must be a hell of teacher,"

"Maddy is smart. She just doesn't have much motivation or discipline. She's only eight though, so there's time for her to work on that."

"I think you're really good for them," Clarke said after a moment. "You're good for all of us."

Lexa felt her heart rate pick up under Clarke's gaze. Before she knew what was happening, she had leant forward and softly captured Clarke's with her own. When Clarke didn't immediately pull away, Lexa let one hand tangle itself in Clarke's hair, while the other one fell to Clarke back. Lexa moaned into the kiss when she felt Clarke's hand reach up to cup her cheek. She felt her flesh both burn and shiver under Clarke's hand.

Wanting more, Lexa pulled Clarke closer, and began to nibble on Clarke's lower lip, but Clarke pulled away. Her eyes were wide as she stared up at Lexa. Both girls stood still, holding one another without moving.

"Lexa," Clarke began. "I…"

Lexa dropped her hand and took a step back, doing her best to shield her emotions. Lexa knew what was coming, and she would respect Clarke' choice.

Clarke stopped speaking when Lexa moved back, and continued to look her over once more.

"I'm not ready. Not yet." Clarke said finally. "I can't date like a normal person. Though the kids aren't technically mine, I am still the equivalent of a teenage mother. A relationship with me is a relationship with the kids. And you're the only reason our family even functions right now. If we were together and broke up," Clarke trailed off. "There's too much on the line with them."

Lexa nodded. Though her heart ached over the rejection, Clarke had not once stated that she didn't feel the same way. Clarke had kissed her back. Lexa's mind reeled as it replayed that kiss.

Lexa had to push the thought away though because it didn't matter. Clarke was right. If things didn't go well between them, Clarke would manage, but the kids would lose yet another parental figure from their lives.

"I understand," Lexa replied, face emotionless.

"I don't know if I have a right to ask you this, but will you stay still for the kids? They really like you."

Lexa nodded. "I will stay for them Clarke," she replied. 'And you,' she added mentally. Lexa would wait as long as Clarke needed to feel comfortable with a relationship. Now that she had a sliver of hope, Lexa knew her mind would never let her move on from Clarke until the hope was lost.

"Thank you," Clarke replied. "You're amazing."

"Go study. I've kept you for long enough. My offer for help still stands."

"Thanks again," Clarke said as she turned to head upstairs.

* * *

 **I know the first kiss came quite early, but it did in the show as well. Let me know your thoughts!**


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